ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Vol. 41 - No 50
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The survival of the fittest

The Burghers by J.B. Muller. Reviewed by Dr. K.D. Paranavitana

The former Government Archivist, Edmund Reimers, addressing the Dutch Burgher Union in 1921, said: “We are an unique community; we glory in the name of the Britisher but we sentimentalize over our ancient association with this fair land; .. we dream… of the Dutch of the 17th and 18 centuries but we energize according to present day British methods and ideals.” With the publication of J.B. Muller’s work “The Burgher” recently one would feel that the above statement needs to be amended to suit the modern context of the Burghers in Sri Lanka.

The Burghers in Dutch Sri Lanka were free citizens who did not receive any payment from the United East India Company (VOC). The Dutch language was their medium of communication. Their long association with Sri Lankan society persuaded them to stay back in the island after its administration was transferred to the British in 1796. A considerable number of officials who belonged to different ranks of the Dutch administration joined hands with them. This combination of free citizens and officials formed a community that distinguished them from the other European residents and were called the ‘Dutch Burghers’ at the beginning of the 19th century.

This new community of Dutch Burghers consisted predominantly of those who originated in Holland but also included men from other European nations such as Germans, French, Flemish, Italian, Danish, and Swiss. Protestantism was the common religion that strengthened their unity.

During the early days of the British administration the Dutch Burghers had no option but to use English as their adopted mother tongue to live in harmony with contemporary society. The inter-marriages that took place with the British provided an added appeal and support to the new community.

The Dutch Burghers became an asset to the British administration with a readymade set of officers, civil servants, physicians, surgeons, surveyors, engineers, book-keepers, printers, architects and the like. They were in possession of long experience and expertise for the establishment of the British administration in the coastal regions of the island. By the turn of the 20th century the Dutch Burghers reached the zenith of their reputation and became a fully integrated and indelible part of Sri Lankan society. During the 19th century the term ‘Burgher’ was used by the British to denote a wider meaning in official records, etymologically connoting mixed descent and included the Portuguese and others of European origin as well. The Dutch Burghers, however, did not like the term ‘Eurasian’ and wished to retain their ‘Dutch’ ancestral identity. Therefore, they got together in 1899 and formed ‘De Hollandsche Vereeniging; or ‘Association of Hollanders,’ which seems to be the predecessor of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon established in 1908.

The Constitution of ‘De Hollandsche Vereeniging’ recognized the Dutch Burghers by using the term ‘Dutch Descendants’. It states that: “No one shall be eligible as a member unless he is a Dutch descendant of full age, of respectable standing in society, and of good moral character. Provided, however, that if the descent aforesaid be in the female line, that the paternal ancestors were also of European origin.”

Accordingly, the descendants in the male line of all those of European origin who were in the service under the Company in Sri Lanka and the children of such descendants in the female line by marriage with Europeans were also considered as “Dutch Burghers.’

This phenomenon gave birth to one ethnic group generated from mixed races. It provided an impetus to develop the idea of ‘elite separatism,’ a notion that did not last long.

In the early 20th century Sri Lankan society was confronted with the problem of formulating a Sri Lankan identity in every possible aspect. More and more Sinhala and Tamil persons entered the administrative, legal, and medical professions. The emergence of the National and Temperance Movements also affected the prominence of the Burghers. The Census of Ceylon, 1946, indicated that the Eurasian population in 1871 was 14,917. (Vol. I, Part, I, General Report, page 151). The increase of the Burghers and Eurasians between 1921 and 1946 is noteworthy: In 1921, the population of this Community was 29,439; in 1946 it had grown to 41,926, an increase of 12,487 within a period of 25 years. It grew almost 52 percent between 1871 and 1921 and a little over 70 per cent between 1921 and 1946. From that year onwards, their numbers declined rapidly to 34,583 in 2001.

The developing situation reached a turning point with Sri Lanka gaining independence from British rule in 1948 and that was the dawn of a new era for the country. The administration of affairs was increasingly and successfully taken over by other segments of the population, mainly Sinhalese and Tamils. The Burghers had to sever British acquaintance and get ready to embrace their compatriots. New legislation affected them very much. The agitation for the use of the national languages in administrative affairs became a burning issue.

After the change of government in 1956, (a critical turning point) the introduction of Sinhala as the national language and medium of instruction in schools and the pride of place being given to indigenous culture – all changes according to the wishes of the majority and the dethronement of English - created a difficult situation for the Burghers.

This accelerated the tendency towards migration overseas, mainly to Australia and other English-speaking Commonwealth countries. The introduction of the ‘White Australia’ policy by the government of that country attracted a considerable number of the more affluent Dutch Burghers who found the environment there more conducive to their survival.

The remaining Burghers in Sri Lanka were now confronted with a situation where they had to adapt to the changes taking place. J.B. Muller very correctly identifies the Sri Lankan Burghers in the present context and claims that: “… this Island is their “Homeland.” They have every right to do so as they have been born and domiciled here over a 500-year period.

This very valid argument of J.B. Muller encourages the challenging concept of “One Country, One Nation” and discourages or perhaps, motivates us to abandon separatism or the partitioning of the island. It is the ‘homeland’ of all its legitimate inhabitants.
J.B. Muller’s wide range of information collected in ‘The Burghers in Sri Lanka would definitely help to further any research into this indigenous mixed community of European origin. Extremely interesting are the anecdotes drawn from long association of the Dutch Burgher community with the peoples of this island.

The first-hand information given about his family and relatives carries immense sociological and cultural value. These reveal that this community had more or less its own culture and that it did not affect the harmony that existed with those of other communities on the island. Indeed, it is the ‘survival of the fittest,’

Chapter 21 on the ‘Saga of the Mullers is an extensive genealogical study into his own family. A reader may feel that the chapters, 15 to 21, would have been enriched with more substantial evidence supported by original sources. Nevertheless, the work of J.B. Muller fills the lacunae in bringing the Burgher community in modern Sri Lanka to the attention of researchers and the public.

 
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Copyright 2007 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka.